Valentine's Day
by Anja Sedai
Summary: Sae seems to hate Valentine's day, so why does Hiro enjoy it so much? SaexHiro


I finally got around to writing another HS fic like I've been wanting too, and I like this one much better than my previous one. I still think it could use a little work, but I'm posting it up anyways because I'm too lazy to probably ever fix it. Yes, it's short, and kind of rushed too, and I think that my characterization is somewhat off, but I'll stop criticizing myself now and just get on with it.

Also, more people need to write for Hidamari Sketch. Come on people, you can do better than me, so write some so I don't have to try and do it all myself.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hidamari Sketch. If I did SaexHiro would move from subtext to flaming canon. ;D

"Can't I just stay here today?"

Hiro let out a giggle at this statement and the accompanying look of distress on Sae's face.

"Hey, this isn't a laughing matter. I'm serious."

"Sae, even if you don't go today they'll still be waiting for you, and you have to go to school at some point."

Sae let out a sigh of defeat and reluctantly stepped out of her room into the chilling February air. Hiro took one last amused look at her friend and then turned toward the stairs.

"Come on, Yuno and Miya are waiting for us. Let's go, I'm sure it won't be that bad."

Wrapping her scarf around her neck, Sae shut her door and then followed Hiro to join their friends from upstairs. They shared their usual light banter on the short trip to their school, talking over the day's lessons and whether or not to go to Berrymart after school, but Sae's mind was clearly somewhere else. Or it was until it was suddenly pulled backed to the conversation, which had now turned to what Sae was dreading, Valentine's day, by a very mischievous looking Miyako asking her a question.

"I wonder how many chocolates Sae will receive today. How many girls will be putting letters in your locker?"

Sae's face flushed a brilliant red and she suddenly felt warm despite the cold weather. Stumbling over her words she sputtered out a response to Miyako.

"Miyako! H-how many times do I have to tell you I am not a man?"

Giving Sae an 'if-you-say-so' look, Miya dragged Yuno off to their class' lockers as they arrived at school, leaving the still sputtering Sae with an amused Hiro.

They made their way over to the lockers and Sae stopped in front of hers and stared at it with a look of extreme apprehension. The rivets glared at her like small beady eyes, and the vents below were like some strange mouth that had gobbled up the letters, which Sae knew were inside. The foul beast was just waiting to regurgitate them at her the moment she opened it. As she reached forward with a trembling hand, she felt Hiro's comforting presence appear behind her and the small sigh she let out brushed the short strands of hair at the nape of her neck. Her hand reached out to rest on Sae's shoulder.

"Come on. I'm sure it won't be that bad. Just think of this as experience for your stories."

Sae quickly spun in her combo, just wanting to get it over with, and flung open her locker while closing her eyes and flinching as if she was afraid the letters would coming flying out at her like a flock of birds. Sae's face was already red, and a giggle from Hiro did nothing to remedy that.

"It's perfectly safe, open your eyes Sae."

Sae nervously cracked one eye open and peered into her locker. There in a small pile were half a dozen or so pink letters staring back at her. Each one bore her name on it in variations of that same overly sweet and bubbly handwriting that girls seem to save for such things. The red hue on her face deepened a shade or two as she nervously pulled them out.

"What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Well you could read them. Or you could be cold and heartless and just throw them all away."

Hiro stated this last bit with an overly dramatic flair as she removed her hand from Sae's shoulder and went to go open her own locker. Sae followed her, still holding the letters in her hand while trying to keep as much distance from them at the same time.

"Can't you do something with them for me?"

Hiro glanced up with an amused expression and paused what she was doing for a moment.

"Oh, but they did put so much effort into them. I'm sure they're just brimming with the pure affection of young love"

"Hiro, you're not helping. In fact you're almost as bad as Miyako. Can you please take them, I can't just throw them away, but I don't know what to do with them."

Hiro arched an eyebrow as she watched Sae glancing around the room, looking for all the world as if she had just killed someone and was now asking her to help bury the body.

"Fine, if it makes you feel better I'll take them."

Hiro took the letters from Sae's lose grip and slipped them into her bag, then after closing up her locker she turned around to look at a much relieved Sae. With the morning bell ringing in the halls both of them proceeded together to their classroom to begin the day's lessons.

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Sae spent the rest of the day relatively calmer, but Hiro did notice with some amusement that whenever anyone would say her name or appear unexpectedly that Sae would flinch ever so slightly. When the end of the day came, Sae looked so relieved that Hiro couldn't help but giggle at the site.

"Come on Hiro, let's go. I don't understand how you can enjoy this day so much."

Hiro merely smiled at Sae and accompanied her back to the apartments, meeting Yuno and Miyako in the front yard of the school. Back at the apartments each of them split off to go to their respective rooms and work on their various projects.

Sae opened her door and entered into the safe-haven of her room from this holiday. She took off her scarf and hung it on a peg and then proceeded into her room to change out of her school uniform and into some more comfortable clothes for working. While the uniforms weren't too bad overall, the short skirts could still be a pain sometimes, not to mention that they were definitely not good for keeping out the February chill. Sitting down at her desk, Sae pulled out a partially completed story from one of her desk drawers and began to write.

She quickly lost track of time and was only alerted to the passage of hours when she heard the buzzing of her phone as she received a message. She took one last glance over the sentence she had been writing, set down her pen, and flipped open her phone. Her screen displayed a message from Hiro telling her dinner was ready. She closed her phone and slowly got up from her chair stretching out limbs that had been forgotten and cramped in the past hours of writing. Debating a jacket or not Sae decided that the she could do without for the quick walk between rooms and opened her door. The gust of cool air that hit her almost made her regret her decision, but she steeled herself and walked quickly over to Hiro's apartment giving a quick knock and then entering without waiting for a response. What greeted her was definitely worth the short time spent in the cold. The table was set with one of Hiro's delicious looking meals, the scents from it wafting temptingly around the room, and the heat from the cooking adding extra warmth to the room. Hiro was just moving the last dish onto the table and she smiled in greeting at Sae as the both moved to the table.

"Wow, your food looks particularly good today Hiro."

"Well it _is_ Valentine's day after all. I thought I'd fix something more than usual."

Sae let out a sigh at the reminder of the day.

"What did you do with those letters I gave you anyways?"

"Oh, I thought you were so eager to get rid of them?"

This comment received a small blush from Sae.

"I-I was, but I was just kind of curious since you didn't just throw them away right away."

"Oh, I read them of course."

"W-what?!? You _read_ them?"

"Well, I didn't want those girls' efforts to go unappreciated."

Hiro laughed at Sae's reaction as she turned red and floundered for something to say. Hiro took the opportunity to ask a question of her own.

"Earlier you asked me how I could like Valentine's Day, would you like to know the answer?"

Without waiting for an answer from the other girl who was still struggling to return to her normal color she continued.

"It's because no matter how many letters you receive or how many chocolates you're given, I know that you're mine."

Hiro stated this last part with a happy smile as she slid her hand into Sae's. The fading blush on Sae's face once again bloomed into full force.

"Now, shall we eat?"


End file.
